Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 10) — Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga on Thursday maintained she is “not easily scared” after Senator Cynthia Villar said the Cabinet official supposedly expressed fear that people behind the reclamation projects in Manila Bay are influential.
\”I don’t know many of you, but you can ask the people who do know me. I’m not easily scared,\” Loyzaga told reporters during a Palace briefing.
In a Senate hearing the day before, Villar said Loyzaga shared that she has fears regarding reclamation activities in Manila Bay, which some are opposing due to their possible social, economic, and national security implications.
\”The problem is, I talked to Secretary Loyzaga about this. Eh medyo takot siya kasi ‘yung mga magre-reclaim, mga influential sa Pilipinas…Sabi ko ‘wag kang matakot. Kung mali, mali. Kung tama, tama,\” Villar said during an inquiry on the flooding situation in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
[Translation: The problem is, I talked to Secretary Loyzaga about this. She’s somewhat scared, because those behind the reclamation are influential in the Philippines…I told her not to be afraid. If it’s wrong, it’s wrong. If it’s right, it’s right.]
Loyzaga did not answer the question on who these powerful figures Villar was pertaining to. She only said she considers the senator’s statement as one merely made out of \”concern.\”
\”And I’m very grateful for our interaction, ‘no? Senator Cynthia and I have been really conversing very deeply on this issue of reclamation and environmental impacts,\” the secretary said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the suspension of reclamation projects in Manila Bay, as the Department of Environment looks into their possible adverse impact and firms’ compliance with environmental laws.
